Leading Safely™ | A HazTek Podcast
Leading Safely™ | A HazTek Podcast is dedicated to engaging with our listeners through a diverse range of environmental, health, and safety topics. Podcast hosts Chris Bellina, HazTek’s logistics manager and Matt Clark, HazTek’s Operations Manager/Safety Professional, team up to tackle hot safety topics, interview experts in the safety industry, answer listener questions, and highlight opportunities for those in the safety field. The podcast is designed for all types of safety professionals, as well as for anyone interested in learning about safety in a new and interesting way.
What makes Leading Safely™ | A HazTek Podcast unique is that our co-host Matt is a safety professional with years of in-the-field experience, while Chris, who is safety adjacent, does not have a safety background — together they both have compelling safety questions that we all want answered. It makes for a great dynamic and an interesting listen for people in the safety industry, people looking to get into the safety industry, and people who just want to learn more about safety in general.
HazTek is a professional safety services organization that employs 300+ safety professionals across North America and throughout the world. New episodes of Leading Safely™ | A HazTek Podcast come out twice a month and listeners can send in their questions to podcast@haztekinc.com. Listeners can also visit our website to learn more at https://www.haztekinc.com.
Leading Safely™ | A HazTek Podcast
Steven Rank | Safety Standards vs. Safety Compliance Directives
Steven Rank, Executive Director of Safety & Health for the Ironworkers International, joins Chris Bellina and Matt Clark on Episode 14. Steven has years of experience as an ironworker and is a member of Iron Workers Local #10 in Kansas City, Missouri. During the episode, Steven discusses the difference between safety standards vs. safety compliance directives. He explains that safety standards are written laws while safety compliance directives are letters about how to interpret these laws. He warns safety professionals to use caution when receiving these letters since they are not legally binding — and the interpretation can be wrong — causing safety issues that can lead to accidents.
Steven shares firsthand accounts of issues that he and his team encountered after receiving safety compliance directives. Steven also talks with Matt and Chris about strategies that safety professionals can utilize when they receive safety compliance directives that do not follow safety standards. Steven encourages everyone to always follow the safety standard — and offers tips on how to do so when a supervisor or member of leadership wants to use the compliance directive instead.